All Summer In A Day, Ponies, And Harrison Bergeron

Common Themes in All Summer in a Day, Ponies, and Harrison Bergeron

Most people, regardless of whether they admit it or not, will do crazy things when they are jealous. It is normal human behavior to be jealous, but some take it too far. An example of this is the characters in Ray Bradbury’s All Summer in a Day, where Margot’s classmates lock her in a closet because they are envious, Barbara in Kij Johnson’s Ponies, who cuts off her pony Sunny’s wings and horn because she is envious of TheOtherGirls who have friends, and society in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Harrison Bergeron, which uses extreme measures to prevent jealousy.

Margot and her classmates live on Venus. The Sun only comes out once every seven years, but the children are nine. Margot moved to Venus when she was four. The other children envy her because she remembers the sun, unlike them. On the day the Sun comes out, the other children lock Margot in a closet. “They could not meet each other’s glances. . .they unlocked the door, even more slowly.” They realized they were out of line and took their jealousy too far.

Jealousy for TheOtherGirls causes Barbara to chop off her pony Sunny’s horn and wings.

“All ponies go to a cutting out party, and they give up [their wings, horn, or voice] two of the three, because that’s what has to happen if a girl is going to fit in with TheOtherGirls.” Even Sunny says, “I can’t wait to have friends!” Barbara discovered she had to take away her voice as well. “‘I won’t!’ Barbara tells them all, but even as she cries until her face is caked with snot and tears, she knows she will. . .Sunny stands up beside her on trembling legs.” Barbara knows she should not mutilate Sunny, but she would do it anyway due to jealousy of

TheOtherGirls.
In the dystopian world Harrison Bergeron takes place in, the American Government goes to great lengths to prevent their people from being envious of others, but it ends up hurting them instead. [George’s] intelligence was way above normal, [but the] had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. . .Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” There were also physical and even beauty handicaps. George´s son Harrison opposes these rules, so he breaks out of prison, tries to be named emperor, and is ultimately killed by a government official. ¨It was then that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.¨ People are dead and generally disadvantaged by these laws regulating jealousy.
Paying little heed to others, the vast majority will do crazy things when they are envious. It is ordinary human conduct to be jealous, however some take it much too far. A case of this is the characters in Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day, where Margot's classmates lock her in a closet in light of jealousy, Barbara in Kij Johnson's Ponies, who removes her horse Sunny's wings and horn since she is jealous of TheOtherGirls who have friends, and society in Kurt Vonnegut Jr's. Harrison Bergeron, which uses outrageous measures to prevent envy.